Outside the city

Author: Qianfulang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Chengwai (Outside the City) is an early attempt. Friends who have read it can see that when Qianfulang wrote this novel, despite the word limit, he still expressed a core literary quality in his heart—storytelling, conflict, the sense of character fate, and the carving of spiritual details. All of these were compressed as much as possible into the short of Chengwai. Qianfulang is fundamentally chasing a literary dream, but he took a step ahead of most writers by finding a way to make his writing a spectacle for mass consumption.
4200 words sold for 180,000 yuan—an emotional story of the mobile phone era that became the most sensational event in the 2004 literary world. The New York Times in the U.S., the Asahi Shimbun in Japan, and more than 100 media outlets in mainland China, including the People's Daily and CCTV, rushed to promote it. A cultural symbol of the mobile phone era, its birth was hailed as a deliberately hyped literary event. It is a novel of only 4200 words, divided into 60 chapters, and sold for 180,000 yuan domestically, published publicly through mobile SMS subscriptions. It pioneeringly connected literature with electronic organs and the market, providing a possible profit model for writers. It became the target of promotion by more than 100 media outlets, including the New York Times, the Asahi Shimbun, and the People's Daily in mainland China. What is the face of these 70-character SMS messages that attract the attention of businesses and readers? Does this 4200-word piece have enough depth to uphold the spirit of a novel? The 180,000-yuan Chengwai truly became a catalyst for the "writer economy." The suspense that has been trembling during the hype will be unraveled with the book's release.
Who is Qianfulang? Who is Qianfulang? In 2004, this peculiar name stole the spotlight: The New York Times in the U.S., the Asahi Shimbun in Japan, and more than 100 media outlets in mainland China, including the People's Daily, all gave him and his first Chinese SMS novel Chengwai publishing space. According to a report titled "Counting the Most Valuable Chinese Writers Today" from June 2004, he was rumored to charge 100 yuan per character, hailed as the "most expensive writer." He claims to be a "person who understands business." He was the one who introduced writing columns from Hong Kong and Taiwan to mainland China, and he was the one who created the first commercially oriented SMS novel. A novel of only 4200 words sold for 180,000 yuan. He said, "This is just the beginning." Should literature remain aloof and exclusive, or should it align with the market? This is the question he left for others. He is both a writer and a businessman, with his uniquely personal writing permeating his innate commercial talent. As a result, he has been highly controversial...
Chengwai is an early attempt. Friends who have read it can see that when Qianfulang wrote this novel, despite the word limit, he still expressed a core literary quality in his heart—storytelling, conflict, the sense of character fate, and the carving of spiritual details. All of these were compressed as much as possible into the short of Chengwai. Qianfulang is fundamentally chasing a literary dream, but he took a step ahead of most writers by finding a way to make his writing a spectacle for mass consumption.